Fiber receiving device



Dec. 27, 1938. BENO|T FIBER RECEIVING DEVICE Filed Jan. 7, 1938 FIE \IIVVENTOR. BY W W ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 27, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application January 7,

12 Claims.

This invention relates to mixing devices for textile fibers such as wool, rayon and cotton.

Where various colors of the same fiber are to be mixed or where various fibers are to be mixed, they are usually put together in the desired proportions and it is then necessary that the locks and bunches should be pulled apart and the individual fibers mixed as thoroughly as possible.

This cannot usually be done in a single operation and there are, therefore, a number of successive operations such as weighing and dumping the stock in layers on a pile and then removing portions thereof manually or otherwise. Batches or armfuls of such portions containing more or less of the various ingredients are then put into a feeder bin, box or hopper of a mixing device such as a mixing picker. Such pickers carry the stock between rolls where it is combed off by combing devices and it is then blown into bins such as are often located in a card room or in another mixing room.

Where such mixed fiber is blown into such a bin, the long wool fibers separate from the short wool fibers and in a mixture of wool and cotton or rayon, the cotton or rayon separates from the wool, so much that often an operative with a broom or other tool must go into and remain in the bin while the stock is settling and remix it by hand to prevent the earlier mixing from being neutralized.

From such a bin the stock is taken and put into the feed of feeder hopper of a carding machine or into the feeder hopper of another mixing machine which operates in a manner similar to the first.

This invention is primarily a distributor head for a bin or hopper. It is attached to the top of or forms part of the top of a bin or hopper into which stock is to be blown and allowed to settle.

It may form the upper part of the bin or it may be a head attached to the inside of the top of the bin. Preferably the lower part of the walls of the bin are imperforate as is also the top of the bin, so that the bottom forms a self-contained settling enclosure and the top prevents or reduces upward air currents.

The head, whether it is a separate entity or forms the upper part of the bin, includes perforated or foraminous wings which are preferably curved outwardly and which extend downwardly and outwardly from an imperforate top.

Associated with this head is a delivery pipe which extends upward and terminates proximate 1938, Serial No. 183,835

the head and means to blow fiber through this pipe up against the top of the head.

The purpose is to so separate the air from the fiber that the fiber will drop evenly to the floor of the bin, which floor may be stationary or movable. Below the head and above the floor, there should be a more or less enclosed settling enclosure with a minimum of air currents.

One advantage of the use of my distributor head is that it can be located at the top of the hopper of a picker feeder or other machine which has a moving bottom such as produced by a horizontal carrier apron, thus permitting the stock to be blown in and to drop evenly and smoothly onto such an apron or movable bottom.

Another important use is in connection with the large storage bins used in card rooms for storing the mixed stock. The stock has been and can be blown from the pickers into such a bin but when blown in from the side or against a vertical baflie plate, the air currents are' such that it does not drop evenly. Other methods have been tried to blow the stock into such bins in such a way that it will not be unmixed but the air currents are such that the results are not satisfactory.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is an isometric diagram showing one use of my distributor head.

Fig. 2 is an isometric view of my preferred type of distributor head and Fig. 3 is a similar view of a modification.

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal vertical section showing' one application and Fig. 5 is a similar view showing another application of the head.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic isometric view show ing a modification and Figs. 7 and 8 are longitudinal vertical sections showing other modifications of the device.

In all the views, short arrows represent the course of the stock and long arrows the course of 'the air currents as nearly as they can be represented.

In the drawing, M represents a mixing machine of any well-known type such as a mixing picker or fearnaught. I

As shown, this includes a feed box or bin 30 and the usual devices for picking up the stock and carrying it between rolls such as 3| and 32 from which it is removed by the air currents produced by a fan 34 and is carried through a conduit 33 into a pipe P, which leads to a receiving bin B. 35 is a door for a trap to let out dust and refuse.

As shown in Fig. 1, this receiving bin B has four imperforate walls I, 2, 3 and 4 forming a set- Bit tlingenclosure. Abovethesearethescreensll, 22, 28 and 24. The top I of bin 3 is imperforate and its bottom 6 is also closed and imperforate.

To the top I of bin B is attached a distributor head D having downwardly and outwardly curved perforated wings II, i2, i3 and i4 and a closed top II which maybe part of the top I.

The pipe P'preferably extends in through one side of the bin and is bent upward at an elbow It and thence extends upward as 3'! to a point proximate the head D. Preferably it extends up somewhat inside the lower end of the wings I I, l2, l3 and H but it might reach a point just below them.

The effect of this head is that as the mixed stock 8 is blown in from the mixing device M, it spreads out in all directions, while the air escapes through the perforations in the wings of the head and-through the screens in the top of the bin, thus allowing the stock which has spread out to drop to the bottom 6, vertically and quietly as shown by the short arrows.

As shown in Fig. 3, a head such as E may have the straight sides ii, 62, 63 and 64 which are perforated and the top 65 which is imperiorate.

As shown in Fig. 4, the stock from a mixing machine which might be one such as shown in my Patent No. 1,929,344 of October 3, 1933 is blown through a pipe G which extends into a relatively small bin or box or cage A set on top of a feeder hopper C. Bin A has imperforate walls 4|, 42, 43 and 44 at the bottom, an imperforate top 45 and an open bottom 46. Above the walls 4| and 43 are screens 41 and 48 and above walls 42 and 44 are the imperforate sides 40 and 49.

F represents the head fixed inside to the top or cap of bin A. Distributor head F is similar to D with perforate sides or wings BI, 52, 53 and 54 and an imperforate top 55. It is open at the bottom. This small bin or box A is in position over one end of a conveyor apron 51 which might be an apron similar to the pit conveyor apron shown in my patent to which reference is made or it might be the apron at the bottom of the feed bin or hopper of a picker feeder. It might be the end of any horizontal conveyor apron for any feeder or mixing machine such as an unusually long i'eed apron of a mixing picker or a feamaught.

As shown in Fig. 5, I may make a top or cap for an ordinary picker feeder bin or hopper such as H in the shape of my distributor head N with four curved and perforated wings such as BI, 62, 63 and 64, an imperforate top 65 and an open bottom 66. I can blow stock either mixed or unmixed through a delivery pipe 61 which is bent up at 68 thus causing the stock to impinge against the top 65 from which it spreads out and drops down through the open bottom 66 gently and evenly onto an extended conveyor or feeder apron 69 such as is sometimes used in such picker feeds.

As shown in Fig. 6, instead of using a distributor head such as N with curved wings in position on a picker feeder hopper, I can use such a head or a head such as 0 similar to E, shown in Fig. 3, with a rectangular imperforate top 58 and four wings such as 59 made of wire screening, each of trapezium shape, the head being in position on top of one end of a receiving member such as l. and over one end of a horizontal conveyor apron 9| near the bottom of member 90 and extending out from under head 0.

Thememberilmightbeapihafeederhopper or any kind of hopper.

In the shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the hopperorreceivingdevice itselfistheonly settling enclosure and all the air must escape through the wings of the head. For that reason with such a construction, the stock inlet pipe and thespeedoftheairstreamshouldbeso proportioned to the perforations in the wings of the head that little, if any, air escapes through the open bottom of the head into the hopper as the object is to let the stock quietly drop by gravity onto a conveyor apron.

As showninFlg. 'I,arectangularcage suchas Vcanbeplacedontopofareceiving member or bin R having imperforate walls II, 12 and II with a horizontal conveyor apron 19 at the bottom. The walls I4, 15, I8 and II are perforated or, as shown, made of wire screening, the wall 11 being shown as extending down into the bin R at It, the top 'll of member It being shown as open. Covering the entire top of cage V is a perforated head 8 with curved wings of the same construction as D, F, or N.

In Fig. 8 is shown a construction similar to that in Fig. 7 except that the bin or hopper W has the side walls as well as the bottom imperiorate, while at the top I is a rectangular opening, the rest of the top at being closed and imperforate instead of being open as is the top I0 of bin R. Over this rectangular opening BI is the combination of the box and head including at the bottom the four imperforate sides such as 82 and a head 1: which includes an imperferate top 83 and four rectangular screened or perforated wings such as 84 which extend directly down in continuation of the walls 82.

I find that by using a stock delivery pipe which extends upwardly and terminates proximate the head so that the stock is blown up against the imperforate top and the head has a plurality of perforated or foraminous wings, even if the wings are not curved but extend straight down and not out, provided there is a protected settling enclosure below the wings, good results can be obtained. I

Where a distributor head is used over one end of a conveyor apron, the head should be of rectangular form so that the stock will settle evenly upon the apron and in every case, the size of the parts and the speed of the air draft should be such that substantially all of the air escapes without entering the settling enclosure, although this enclosure may be partly screened as shown in Fig. '7.

In the preferred construction such as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, the air carrying the stock impinges on the center of top of the head and spreads out in all directions, escaping through the perforations in the wings and thence out through the screens and if any small amount of air escapes from under the wing. it is dissipated and also escapes through the screens.

I claim:

1. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a bin having an imperforate top and four imperforate walls, there being a screen through the upper part of one of its walls; with'a head forming part of and attached to the top of the bin, said head having curved, perforated wings extending downwardly and outwardly from an imperfcrate top; a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow fibers through said pipe up against the top of the head; together with a horizontal conveyor apron, one end of which extends into and forms part of the bottom of the bin.

2. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a bin having an imperforate top and four imperforate walls, there being a screen through the upper part of one of its walls; with a head forming part of and attached to the top of the bin, said head having curved, perforated wings extending downwardly and outwardly from an imperforate top; a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow fibers through said pipe up against the top of the head.

3. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a bin having a top and a screen through the upper part of one of the walls; with a head forming part of and attached to the top of the bin, said head having perforated wings extending downwardly and outwardly from an imperforate top; a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow fibers through said pipe up against the top of the head; together with a horizontal conveyor apron, one end of which extends into and forms part of the bottom of the bin.

4. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a bin having a top and a screen through the upper part of one of the walls; with a head forming part of and attached to the top of the bin, said head having perforated wings extending downwardly and outwardly from an imperforate top; a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow fibers through said pipe up against the top of the head.

5. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a bin having an upper part in the form of a head, said head having curved, perforated wings extending downwardly and outwardly from an imperforate top; with a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow fiber through said pipe substantially vertically up against the middle of the top of the head; together with a horizontal conveyor apron in the bottom of the bin.

6. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a bin having an upper part in the form of a head, said head having perforated wings extending downwardly and outwardly from an imperforate top; with a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow fiber through said pipe substantially vertically up against the middle of the top of the head; together with a horizontal conveyor apron in the bottom of the bin.

'1. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a bin having an upper part in the form of a head, said head having perforated wings extending downwardly from an imperforate top; with a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow fiber through said pipe substantially vertically up against the middle of the top of the head; together with a horizontal conveyor apron in the bottom of the bin.

8. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a bin in the upper part of which is a head, said head including perforated wings extending downwardly from an imperforate top; with a settling enclosure below the wings; a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow fiber through said pipe substantially vertically up against the middle of the top of the head.

9. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a distributing head including curved perforated wings extending downwardly and outwardly from an imperforate top; with a settling enclosure below the wings; a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow the fiber through said pipe substantially vertically up against the middle of the imperforate top of the head.

'10. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a distributing head including perforated wings extending downwardly from an imperforate top; with a settling enclosure below the wings; a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow the fiber through said pipe substantially vertically up against the middle of the imperforate top of the head.

11. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a distributing head including curved perforated wings extending downwardly and outwardly from an imperforate top; a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow the fiber through said pipe up against the imperforate top of the head.

12. In a fiber mixing system, the combination of a distributing head including perforated wings extending downwardly from an imperforate top; a delivery pipe extending upwardly and terminating proximate the head; and means to blow the fiber through said pipe up against the imperforate top of the head.

OLIVER A. BENOI'I. 

